Slomo.tv VAR technology comes to Tajikistan football

The Tajikistan Football Federation has selected the FIFA-certified videoReferee VAR system from slomo.tv as it begins its implementation of the technology.

VAR is not just about servers and cameras. It is a whole system that includes equipment, personnel, administrative procedures and special methods, and slomo.tv is supporting the federation with all of these aspects.

For the Tajikistan Football Federation, one of the reasons for choosing slomo.tv equipment as the basis of its VAR system was that the company has extensive experience in VAR implementation in national football championships, based on its Academy training platform.

As part of the VAR implementation, a technical training seminar for video referees (VARs), assistant referees (AVARs) and replay operators (ROs) was held in the capital, Dushanbe. The workshop was attended by referees who work on Tajikistan championship matches, as well as representatives of TV channels. Participants learned how to work the system, performed tasks at different VAR positions and practiced procedures for various controversial game moments.

Slomo.tv’s videoReferee-8F, an eight-camera VAR server that the referees will work with in the future, and the Academy training simulator were used during the seminar. The Academy uses a prepared library of clips showing controversial moments to emulate live signals from cameras. Together with the videoReferee server, it immerses trainees in a working process that is as close to the actual workflow as possible.

The Аcademy opens up the possibility of creating a ‘quality loop’. Leagues and federations can form their own library of clips of controversial moments, which can be used in the Academy to improve the skills of referees, train new personnel or analyse the individual actions of each member of the VAR team.

The Tajikistan Football Federation purchased a videoReferee–8F VAR set to equip a VAR van which will be used during Tajikistan Higher League matches. The system records signals from up to eight cameras, provides the video referees with all the necessary tools to quickly analyse the moment and output the referee interface to the Referee Review Area (RRA). It is also integrated with the referee intercom system.

To date, the theoretical training and technical intensive training on the system have been successfully completed. Next, VARs, AVARs and replay operators will use the Academy to practice their skills, automate procedures and work through as many different types of controversial moments as possible. The Academy will also be used in training and certification stages, outlined in the Implementation Assistance and Approval Program (IAAP).

The VAR system in Tajikistan is scheduled to be fully implemented by the second half of the Tajikistan Higher League season.